Iconic’s lineup on the bar at Shuck.
I found my new Happy Place the other day: full of California sunshine, bright white, clean, stocked with super-chilled, zippy white wines and a mountain of raw bivalves.
Shuck, Orange County’s new oyster bar, is the kind of place that reminds me how much joy and satisfaction can be obtained from the simplest and most obvious food and wine pairings. Continue reading
This funny piece of pop artwork comes from Gerald at Weimax Wines & Spirits. Gerald must have created it for at least two reasons.
Firstly, because it is true. In some way, Barolo is always the answer.
Secondly, I think Gerald made it to make Elisa Scavino smile. If you’ve ever seen Elisa smile, you’d know this is also a perfectly good reason to do pretty much anything.
#BaroloistheAnswer
Grazie, Gerladino!
The view from Pitti Golla’s outside patio (photocredit: @dougzamensky)
When I was younger I had the opportunity to study Italian during the summers in the beautiful city of Firenze (thanks, Mom and Dad!). I didn’t know anything about wine back then- I had no idea I was living smack in the middle of some of Italy’s most prestigious and mythic wine territory. For me Firenze was a lynch-pin experience in my life. This city is magic- a cornerstone of Toscana and the historical incubator for Italian art, science, literature, language. Now I realize that Firenze is also an important heartbeat for Tuscany- birthplace of Sangiovese, Vermentino, Trebbiano. Chianti Classico around the corner, Montalcino down the road. Returning back to the wandering cobblestones streets of this Renaissance dream was a complete revelation for me.
Firenze is beautiful.
The clouds parting after a quick summer shower at Monteraponi.
I learned a new sommelier-geeky-wine word this past week for an aroma we all know and love. “Petrichor” the name for the scent of fresh rain. The word was coined in 1964 by researchers I.J. Bear and R.G. Thomas. It is a combination of the ancient Greek word petro (rock or stone) and ichor (the fluid that is supposed to flow in the veins of the gods of Greek mythology. Poetic. Appropriate.
It could have been the time and place- the ancient stone buildings, the passing rain, the warmly lit rooms of Monteraponi- but I swear this bottle of Chianti Classico had a little bit of petrichor enchantment. Clean, mineral, and whispering of something venerable and carefully well-preserved. Magic.
When we visited the Demeter-certified Biodynamic estate Duemani the other day, we learned about a flowering plant called Erba Sulla. This bright purple blossom is hugely important in Tuscany and Abruzzo for many reasons- here at Duemani it was a telltale sign that the land Elena Celli and Luca D’Attoma had picked out for their vineyards would be fertile and full of the components their vines would need to survive.
Nothing escapes Luca D’Attoma’s notice in his vineyards.
Elena told us the hillsides of the estate, which had never been cultivated before the couple bought the property some 11 years ago, were covered with the stuff- lit up from afar with these fiery purple flowers. They knew this was a great sign, as the plant has deep roots which help break up rocky or clay soils, as well as doing the important job of returning nitrogen to the earth as a by-product of its life cycle.
This philosophy of Biodynamics outlines the gentle supplementation to the soil to help make the crops as healthy as possible. In a lot of way the process of Biodynamic farming seems so hands-on, so “interventive”. Sometimes it feels like Biodynamics is all about the external things the farmers add back to the soil. I think it’s also important to recognize the other practices these farmers use to support Biodynamic processes, like using naturally helpful “support” crops to boost the success and health of their overall farms of vineyards is another key element to this kind of farming.
After all, it’s only natural.
We stopped by Casa Emma for a tour of the winery, and as seems to be the custom everywhere we go- they immediately welcomed us, handed us a glass of wine, and started cooking.
This winery is in San Donato in Poggio, very close to Castellina. The elevation is about 420 meters above the sea, sprawling out over a beautiful hillside that is crested with a natural preserve. The sweeping exposure to sunlight, along with the oxygen-producing trees at the top of the incline, help make this vineyard a perfect little ecosystem for the grapes.
Casa Emma cultivates mostly Sangiovese, but also has some precious indigenous varietals as well. Their first Chianti Classico is made with 90% Sangiovese, 5% Cannaiolo and 5% Malvasia Nera. The Cannaiolo is relatively standard in these blends, but the Malvasia Nera is what helps really set this wine apart from other Chianti Classico expressions. There is a black fruit, plums and dried orange peel quality that the Malvasia Nera lends to the blend that I really like. It’s juicy and toothsome- dangerously drinkable, especially with a few slices of cured meat or cheese.
You’re in Tuscany, surrounded by the most beautiful scenery, your senses assaulted by the sights and smells of the sunny hills and beautiful wines. All of this perfection can make you hungry. Go to Baffo and eat Fried Chicken. I’m not kidding. This may have been the single most important culinary discovery of my life. Especially when paired with the right wines.
For example, we all know Lambrusco goes well with anything salty and fried, but it truly sang with this perfectly olive-oil drenched, crispy-juicy chicken.
Of course, when Luca D’Attoma, enologist to the stars and producer of his own amazing wines at the Duemani comes along, he manages to somehow top the absolute perfection of this pairing.
With 1990 Sauternes. Cool, oily with sugar and just enough acidity to wake up your palate between crispy-juicy bites. The mouth-coating effect was also helpful when we ordered the spicy version of this pollo fritto- loaded with dried chili flakes and piping hot.
Thanks Luca, for introducing us to another of the world’s great food & wine pairings. Fried Chicken and Sauternes. Try it. You’ll like it.
Yes, I sell wine for a living and I write about my products here on this site. I am proud to represent the products in AI Selections portfolio. In my opinion, it’s one of the most interesting collections of imported wine around- that’s why I took the job.
In our industry it is customary that a salesperson “supports” her own products in her accounts. This means we drink our own wines- wines we have sold into these restaurants and wine bars.
The funny thing is, for the first time in my career I feel absolutely NO pressure to do this. AI Selections was founded by David Weitzenhoffer, former Wine Director for Felidia in NYC. If anyone appreciates the fascinating diversity of the wine world, and recognizes the sheer importance of knowing as many wines as possible, it’s David. Consequently, I do not feel I HAVE to order my own wines in our accounts.
But most of the time I still I do. Because I love them. Continue reading
I love having the opportunity to taste new and exciting wines being brought into the US by pioneering importers like Vinity. I happened upon LA salesguy extraordinaire Ned Teitelbaum at Terroni the other day and he let me taste this gorgeous little gem from a winery I had never heard of before: Azienda Agricola Lusenti, in the Colli Piacentini.
The wine is made from 100% Malvasia di Canida, a variety local to this part of Emilia-Romagna. The name Bianca Regina or “White Queen” is appropriate given the gorgeous and opulent aromatics of this wine- all tea leaves and jasmine, honeysuckle and lovely caramelized apricots. On the plate it is unabashedly saline, and vertical with acidity and a balanced and softly tannic structure, thanks to a 4-day maceration on the skins before pressing.
Winery owner Ludovia Lusenti writes on her website that she wishes the wines to “relay the emotion of a journey… and of life in the vineyards”. After tasting the Bianca Regina, I am thirsty to know more.
I was so excited to meet Massimo Fubelli and Chef Fabrizio Giorgi of Mosto Enoteca the other day at their lovely restaurant in Venice, California. I spent over a year living in Bologna, where one of my staple lunch or dinner items was the local iteration of Romagna’s sandwich: the piadina. Chef Fabrizio, being a local from Rimini, understands the art of this perfect little hand-held meal.
The warm, griddled flatbread was spread with a fresh, runny mozzarella- so fresh I thought it might be stracchino- then dotted with spicy arugula and draped with prosciutto. Done. Basta. The perfect example of fast, healthy, regional Italian cuisine. The key to simple dishes like the piadina is perfect balance between restraint and super high quality. Not too much of each ingredient allows every flavor and texture to shine through against that soft, warm slightly-chewy give of the piadina element itself.
Now these Mosto Enoteca just needs a real authentic glass of regional wine to go with that perfect sandwich.
Maybe the Lambrusco boys of Opera02 can help?!
Mattia Montanari with the perfect pairing to a piadina- a glass of cold Lambrusco!
